Wednesday

when design meets cava - the awesome collaboration between michael michalsky and freixenet

within moments of walking into fashion designer Michalsky's studio in berlin kreuzberg the first bottle of chilled cava is already being poured. the first "cheers" and the sound of clinking glasses are the perfect opener for the next two hours, in which one of germany's most famous makers tells me and a handful of other bloggers how his latest collaboration came into being: the redesign of Freixenet's Carta Nevada bottle.

i loved this meeting for two main reasons, even 3 actually. one, i love all fizzy wine drinks. cava, champagne, prosecco - you name it. Freixenet stands out to me because even though it is technically

a cava sort, it's origin follows the way champagne is produced. while it no longer is legal to call a cava champagne, unless it stems from the French region with said name, Freixenet really does give the expensive original a run for its money.

Freixenet is a family-run business with a long history and this year its bestseller, the Carta Nevada is celebrating its 75th anniversary! reason enough for them to once again team up with one of their favorite creatives and long-time collaborators: Michael Michalsky. which leads me to the second reason why this appointment was so great: hanging out with the Maestro himself.

for years Michalsky has been throwing the most popular (and consequently hard to get into) party during fashion week, each year showcasing a musical talent who not rarely would go on to build amazing careers for themselves. in the recent past the designer was one of the two jury members alongside Heidi Klum on the successful tv show Germany's next Topmodel. it's fair to say that there was probably never a time in Michalsky's career where he was this popular and busy, so it was definitely a cool privilege for him to make time to meet and talk to us, while answering every single question we had.

i must admit that this was the first time i was actually made aware of Michalsky's talent range which is far from stopping at designing clothing. since 2006 he's been working as a creative directer for my favorite bag label MCM, at one point he was head of design for adidas and Levi's. His lifestyle design lab has worked with some of the most prestigious brands in the industry and his own brand Michalsky creates perfumes, furniture, sunglasses, sneakers and of course fashion.

speaking of his label, the same also has a reason to celebrate the year 2016 as it marks the brand's 10-year anniversary. one more perfect reason why this cooperation with Freixenet makes sense on all accounts. so what exactly did i learn that afternoon?

in a process and lasted across the span of over 6 months Michalsky came up with a concept and a brandnew look, worthy of a birthday edition. we got to see the moodboard first hand which explained the various new elements that are gracing the new design. Material, coloring, design elements - Michalsky stresses that he went at great lengths to marry the history and image of the bottle with his own.

the anniversary bottle comes in a silver and a metallic rosé tone and features the look of studs on the label, one of the creator's favorite design elements. in addition, the glass bottle itself maintains a frosted look, setting it apart from other bottle designs. if you live in germany you will soon be able to find the special edition bottle in your supermarket of choice, so keep an eye open!

upon leaving we received a parting gift that couldn't have been more exclusive: a special edition bag which was only produced 35 times!! The special perk behind within this bag? It comes with a customized bottle holder made of the same rosé metallic leather the bag is made from and on the front is sporting the Michalsky logo that can also be found on the new bottle design.

i'm sure i'll have a couple of summer picnics to attend where this one will not just come in handy, it will look great in the process!